


Perfect

by CrypticCravings (Sekaiinokoi)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Aftermath, Awkwardness, F/M, Fluff, LadyNoir - Freeform, ML Secret Santa 2017, Ming85, Reveal, adrienette - Freeform, holiday fic, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2019-02-17 02:01:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13066812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sekaiinokoi/pseuds/CrypticCravings
Summary: When the reveal takes Ladybug and Cat Noir by surprise, they struggle to find their footing with one another again. They both attempt to come to terms with the weight of their feelings for one another. The upcoming holiday season gives them the opportunity to finally express the things they couldn't say before.





	Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I am back from the long hiatus with a holiday surprise! This was an ML Secret Santa gift for Ming85 on tumblr, inspired by her work of art from her Paris Landscapes series, and by the song Perfect by Ed Sheeran.  
> By all rights, this should have been a multi-chapter fic. Even with cutting down a lot of the plot I wanted to include, it still ended up being quadruple the word count I initially intended. Still, I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Ming85's piece: http://ming85.tumblr.com/post/165902758944/escaping-the-party-my-fond-memories-of  
> Musical inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vv-BfVoq4g

 

Marinette sighed and sank down into her chair even further, tuning out whatever it was Alya was talking about. She felt a little guilty ignoring her friend, but her worries were assuaged by the knowledge that Nino at least was paying attention.

Marinette just didn’t have the mental capacity to focus on anything today, not after what happened this morning.

Her eyes flicked to Adrien, sitting across from her at the library table, and accidentally made eye contact. She felt her cheeks burning and turned away as quickly as possible, feigning interest in her best friend’s story.

Even without looking, she could feel his eyes on her still. It made her want to fidget, to somehow squirm away from his intense stare. She turned her head again, blue eyes meeting green, and the whole world spun around her.

Because Adrien was Cat Noir.

They never intended to reveal themselves to one another.

At least, not anytime soon. Ladybug said it was safer for both of them to remain anonymous, even to one another. Cat Noir may not have liked it, but he had to agree. It was for the best.

They never intended to reveal themselves. Which is why it came as such a shock when it actually happened.

Ladybug was racing over the rooftops, zigzagging between buildings and alleyways to shake off any remaining media and de-transform in peace.

She dropped down into a familiar alleyway, near the school and away from prying eyes. There were mere seconds left on her transformation, and suddenly Ladybug realized she wasn’t alone.

On the other end of the alleyway, eyes wide as saucers and the last pad on his Miraculous beeping frantically, was Cat Noir.

There wasn’t time to process what was happening, no time to turn away or close their eyes. They could only stare, frozen in place, as their transformations wore off, and suddenly they weren’t Ladybug and Cat Noir anymore.

In their places were Marinette and Adrien, classmates, friends, and apparently partners.

All of that had happened after an early morning akuma attack just before the start of classes. Now, just a few hours after a jarring reveal, the two of them were forced to act natural, like nothing had changed, like they hadn’t just discovered that their superhero best friend had been so close all along, while they worked on their history project.

There hadn’t been enough time to process everything.

_ Adrien?!  _ He had been Cat Noir the whole time?

Sure, the two of them were friends. They hung out all the time, whether it was alone or with other friends. She was finally starting to act like a regular person around him, slowly getting over the way her words turned to soup in front of him. Now she had to deal with the fact that her amazing, smart, kind, handsome, perfect crush was also her silly, brave, kind, amazing partner, too! How could she possibly be expected to act like a normal person in front of him now that she knew both sides of him?

Adrien, for his part, wasn’t much better off. Ladybug was  _ right there _ . He’d looked for His Lady in every blue eyed, dark haired girl he’d come across in the hopes of finding her, only to have her sitting behind him in class the entire time. He lamented the missed opportunities, but they didn’t really matter any more. What mattered was that they knew now.

“Hello,” Alya said in her sing-song, are-you-paying-attention voice. Of course neither of them had been. “Did you guys hear me? The Holiday Gala at _ Le Grand Paris _ ?”

“What about it?” Marinette asked, hoping to distract herself from the blond boy across from her. 

Alya rolled her eyes. “Are we going?”

“Isn’t that one of Chloe’s dad’s parties?” Nino wondered. “How are we even going to get in when she hates most of us?”

“My mother is the head chef,” Alya pointed out. “She has her ways. Besides, I’m sure Mister  _ Adrikins  _ Agreste over there is already on the guest list.”

“Yeah,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “Chloe’s been talking about this party for a while. My father’s all for it because it will be a good networking opportunity. There won’t be many people our age there, so it would be great if you guys can make it! I bet even Chloe would enjoy the company. These things can get exhausting when it’s just businessmen and company representatives.” Adrien turned to Marinette. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but something in his eyes seemed more...heated, more intense than usual. It made heat rise from her neck to her cheeks. “There will be a lot of people in the fashion industry there, too. You could make some good connections, Marinette.”

Marinette made a quiet, strangled noise in the back of her throat. “Really?” She managed to squeak out, “That’s wait! I-I can’t the great to a party!” Oh, no, of course the word soup would come back at a time like this! She groaned and took a steadying breath. “I mean, I can’t wait to go. To the party.”

Alya gave her a strange look. It had been quite some time since Marinette had been this nervous around Adrien. Alya must know that something was up for her to suddenly revert to this kind of behavior again. 

If Adrien noticed, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he simply smiled at her, the same way Adrien always smiled at Marinette, as if their whole world hadn’t changed just hours ago. “It might be a good opportunity to show off your design skills.”

Marinette gave a single stiff nod. She did have a few works in progress that she could have done in time. 

“Great!” Alya said, clapping her hands together twice, “it’s settled, then. I’ll tell my mom we’re all on board. The Gala is in two weeks, so clear your schedules. Nino, my dress is going to be orange, just so you know.” 

“Why are you telling me that?” Nino asked.

Alya groaned. “So that your suit can match, obviously.”

“This isn’t some American high school prom, Al,” Nino pointed out, “dates don’t need to buy each other corsages and match perfectly.”

“What’s so wrong with matching? You look good in orange!”

“It’s a white tie event! I’m not showing up to a high class event like this looking like I just walked off of an American teen rom-com…”

Marinette giggled as she watched her friends argue playfully, swinging her legs idly under the table. She had nearly forgotten about her earlier revelation until her foot casually brushed up against Adrien’s leg. 

The heat returned to her face immediately as the two of them made eye contact. They stared at one another for just a moment before quickly averting their gazes. 

This whole identity reveal thing was a disaster, after all.

* * *

Marinette flung herself onto her chaise lounge with a groan. 

That had to be the longest school day she’d ever been through.

She couldn’t stop staring at Adrien--even more than usual. She’d been trying to match him up to her image of Cat Noir, and she was finding it easier and easier to do the more she thought about it. Now that she’d been stewing the entire day, she was thinking a bit more clearly and it actually made sense. She and Adrien were practically the only people that hadn’t been akumatized. Besides that, he and Cat Noir were more similar than she realized, for good reason. Beyond the fact that they were both tall, blond haired boys with green eyes, they both had terrible senses of humor. They were both extremely skilled in a fight, with Adrien’s fencing skills and Cat Noir’s amazing reflexes with his staff. And both of them were quick on their feet, able to catch her quickly when she fell.

That last thought made her heart skip a beat. 

She’d always been in love with Adrien, that was an undisputed fact nearly since the two had met. And Cat Noir had always held a special place in her heart as her partner and best friend, maybe even a little bit more than that if she was being honest with herself.

To have those two incredibly precious people suddenly morph into one amazing, funny, handsome, kind, smart,  _ miraculous  _ package was just...too much.

How could she possibly be expected to face them both at once?

* * *

“It’s Marinette,” Adrien sighed, flopping onto his bed.

He hadn’t really had time to process the sudden reveal of Ladybug’s identity that day, not with school and work and activities cramming his schedule, and his brain. 

But now that he had a couple of hours to himself, his mind began to wander. 

Marinette was Ladybug. 

Ladybug was Marinette.

It made sense, really. He could kick himself for not seeing it sooner. It wasn’t like the signs weren’t there, he just hadn’t noticed. Hadn’t been looking at what was right in front of him--or rather, right behind him. 

Now that he knew that his amazing friend and beloved partner were one in the same, he couldn’t keep the grin off of his face. He didn’t think he could love Ladybug any more than he already did, but apparently he could. Knowing the girl behind the mask had made his love for her grow tenfold. 

“Gross,” Plagg said from his perch on Adrien’s desk, “would you stop sighing like that? It’s ruining my appetite.” 

“I can’t help it, Plagg,” Adrien said, picturing Marinette’s blushing face from that afternoon, remembering the way her lovely bluebell eyes caught the light in the library. “She’s just so great.”

Plagg made a gagging noise. “Just ask her out already, then. If you’re going to be this disgusting, at least do something about it.”

That was it!

Adrien hopped up out of bed and grabbed Plagg off of the desk. “Plagg, you’re a genius!” He said, dropping a kiss to the top of his kwami’s head.

The little black cat made a hacking sound, but Adrien ignored it in favor of spinning around in a circle. He just had to confess.

* * *

Marinette tried to pass the next week at school as naturally as she could.

Unfortunately for her, “natural” didn’t come easily to her. It never had.

If she thought her word soup had been bad around Adrien in the beginning, it had nothing on this. It was as if her tongue turned to lead any time she saw him, which was literally all the time. It was like he was purposefully getting in her way any chance he got. 

Forget discussing the aftermath of their revealed identities, Marinette couldn’t even holding a friendly conversation with the guy. It was like she was in middle school all over again, and she absolutely hated it. 

How was she supposed to fight off akumas if she couldn’t even say “hello” to her partner in the hallways?! 

To make matters worse, Adrien had developed this habit of touching her any time he saw her, something he did regularly as Cat Noir that seemed to carry over into their civilian lives. Every time he brushed her hand with his, or nudged her with his shoulder, an electric current would run through her body, temporarily short circuiting her brain. 

“I don’t know what to do, Tikki!” Marinette complained after an especially stressful day. “What if I can never talk to him like a normal person again?”

“You can do it, Marinette.” Her Kwami encouraged. “How did you learn how to talk to Adrien the first time?”

Marinette considered that. There had to be at least some reason she’d started talking to Adrien normally, didn’t there? “I guess...it was because I got used to him? We started to talk more outside of class, and we spent time alone together, and eventually my words did what they were supposed to.”

“Then maybe you just need to get used to him again!” Tikki suggested. “This was quite a shock to you, right? It’s a lot to handle, and your brain needs time to connect everything. If you spend time with him, as Adrien and Cat Noir, then maybe your words will do what they’re supposed to like before.”

It was a possibility, for sure. Marinette still worried what might happen if something went wrong, though. What if she said something totally weird and ended up chasing him off? She’d had enough close calls with that. What if she called him “hot stuff” to his face this time instead of to his voice mail? Or something even more embarrassing? It was bad enough to say those things to Adrien when he was just Adrien, but Cat Noir, too? She couldn’t even begin to imagine how mortified she would be.

She couldn’t let this setback get in the way of protecting Paris though. She had a responsibility to her city first and her heart second, so for the sake of her city, she had to figure out how to talk to Adrien/Cat Noir like a normal person ASAP.

* * *

Their first patrol since their accidental reveal was definitely a bit...strange.

Typically the night began with Cat Noir prattling off a number of jokes, some light hearted banter and flirting, and maybe a spar. This night was different, though. 

Because now they knew who it was under the mask. 

They had tried to tell themselves that knowing the person under the mask wouldn’t change anything. Cat was still Cat and Ladybug was still Ladybug.

Yet as much as they reminded themselves of that fact, things between them were still strained. Cat Noir was more careful with his words, and Ladybug more guarded with her previously casual physical contact. 

After an especially quiet circuit around the city, the two of them found themselves sitting on a rooftop with a calculated amount of space between them. They hadn’t spoken much that night, or that day at school. Or really in the entire week following the accident. 

Things were starting to get awkward, and they both hated it. But of course, neither of them knew how to make things right, either.

They just couldn’t figure out where they stood anymore. 

“It’s been really quiet tonight, huh M--my--Marinette?” Cat Noir winced.  _ Real smooth _ . 

Ladybug jumped at his sudden use of her real name. “Y-yeah! Super quiet.”

“Maybe Hawkmoth decided to retire?”

“We can only hope,” she giggled. 

Then it was quiet again.

Marinette could kick herself. This was Cat Noir. She should at least be able to crack a joke with him or something, but instead she was sitting there not sure of what to say and making a complete fool of herself. She was so stupid!

Unable to take the pressure anymore, Ladybug began to rise to her feet. 

“Hey, um, Ladybug,” Cat Noir said hesitantly in a tone so un-Cat-like, but so very Adrien that she couldn’t believe it. “Before we call it a night, can I ask you something?”

Ladybug paused. “Of course.” 

Cat Noir scrambled to his feet in front of her in a move that was so unlike what she expected of Adrien. She was beginning to see that the reason she had such a hard time connecting the two of them in the beginning was because he really did act like a different person with the mask on. When he was Adrien, he was this picture of perfection: well groomed, well behaved, well mannered, always smiling that model smile. But when he was Cat Noir, it was like he could really let his hair down. The wild streak that Adrien occasionally hinted at with a stray wink and a sly grin, or a particularly well placed pun came out full force. 

Marinette both understood why she never connected the two and wanted to smack herself for not seeing it sooner. 

Standing in front of her was both well mannered, poised Adrien Agreste and the silly tom cat, Cat Noir, wrapped up into one phenomenal person that she got to call her best friend and partner.

Her best friend and partner who had apparently just asked her a question that she had completely missed. He looked at her expectantly, and Marinette rattled her brain to figure out what he had just said, but she just had not been listening at all.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” She said with a flush. 

“I asked if you would go to the Holiday Gala with me.” 

Marinette though she was imagining the question. Had he really just…

Looking once again at the way he glanced at her before quickly glancing away, not so casually rubbing the back of his neck in his usual nervous habit, Marinette knew the question was very real. 

“Aren’t you going with Chloe?” She asked, immediately wanting to smack herself. That was so not what she should be saying right now. 

“What?! Chloe?” Cat held up both of his hands and shook his head. “No, no, Chloe isn’t...I’m not...I’m not going with Chloe. No.” 

“Then…” Ladybug averted her eyes, not quite able to meet his dead on. “Yes, I’ll go with you.”

Cat Noir’s grin was blinding under the dim city lights. “Great! Then, I’ll pick you up at your house before the party?”

Ladybug nodded. “That sounds good.”

“Alright,” he laughed. “Great!” He pulled out his staff and extended it, already ready to take off. “I”ll see you then!” With that, Cat Noir jumped off the side of the building and vaulted on to the next one, heading home without any further adieu. 

“You know, I’ll still see you at school tomorrow, too, right?” She called after him.

His only response was a distant whoop. Ladybug shook her head. She should be following the alley cat’s example and heading home as well. She had a dress to finish, and only seven days left to finish it.

* * *

In the days leading up to the Holiday Gala, Marinette should have been working on her dress, but as the day approached she couldn’t seem to take her mind off of her partner. The snow kept patrols short, and he had been pulled out of school more often than usual to attend networking events with his father.

So instead of working on the gown she would be wearing to what was likely going to be one of the most glamorous nights of her entire life, Marinette found herself working on Adrien’s Christmas present. 

There were two things she knew Adrien loved: sweets and handmade gifts. All these years later, he still carried around the lucky charm she’d given him. Not that she was much better. She’d fastened the one he made her to her purse so that it was always with her. 

Fortunately, Marinette was skilled at two things in particular: making food and making gifts. 

She’d been planning this gift for a while now, ever since Adrien started complaining about a sore back, supposedly from all of the photo shoots his father had him doing this season. Now that Marinette had a little more perspective on the matter, she had a feeling his sore muscles had more to do with being thrown off of buildings and battling supervillains than with posing for cameras, though that probably didn’t help much. Fortunately, she’d recalled a conversation with Cat Noir on a similar matter only a few days before the reveal about how much of a pain the cold weather was moments before he draped himself around her and begged her to be his hot water bottle for the rest of the winter.

She grinned to herself as she finished sewing a zipper into her gift. Working on finishing this had taken some time away from finishing her Gala dress, but she had a feeling that his reaction would make it all worth it. 

Marinette quickly wrapped the present, tossing in some hand made Christmas chocolates and tying the bag off with a bow.

“When are you going to give it to him?” Tikki asked, landing on the bag’s stiff, straw handles.

Marinette was focused on the card, sticking her tongue out as she drew out the careful calligraphy. She hummed thoughtfully. “I think I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Aren’t you guys exchanging gifts next week, though?” Tikki asked. Marinette and her friends typically exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve, but things were different this year.

“I think it’ll be worth it to give this to him a little bit early this year,” Marinette explained. “Things have been a little tense ever since our...little accident last week, but I think he’s trying to make things normal again. That’s probably why he asked me to the Gala with him.”

“Are you sure he didn’t ask you because he genuinely wants you to be his date? Like, in a romantic way?”

Marinette paused over the front of the card, pondering over how to address it. “We’re friends, Tikki. We’ve been friends for years, and I’m pretty sure that he just wants to go to this party as friends.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Tikki warned. “Have you forgotten the way Cat Noir flirts with you?”

“That doesn’t mean anything. We’ve always played that game with each other. Besides, he never flirts that way with Marinette, and he hasn’t done it at all recently. I guess it’s weird now that we know each other.”

Tikki gave Marinette a skeptical look, but didn’t press the issue further. 

Marinette sighed and scribbled down the address on the front of the card without any more hesitation and shoved it into the bag, unintentionally knocking her kwami from her perch.

“Hey!” Tikki protested.

Marinette winced. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

Her kwami grumbled, causing Marinette to giggle. She glanced at her mannequin and the nearly finished gown. The Gala was only a couple of days away, and Adrien was taking her as his date. She couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Tikki was right. She didn’t want to get her hopes up for anything, but if something  _ did  _ happen…

Marinette shook her head. She couldn’t get caught up in thoughts like that. 

She turned off her light and headed up the ladder to her loft bed. She would just start small, take things one step at a time. She would give Adrien his Christmas present tomorrow, put the finishing touches on her dress, and go to the gala with Adrien. He would take one look at her amazing dress and decide that he couldn’t live without her anymore. Her kitty cat would sweep her off her feet and propose on the spot, and they would get married, have three kids, and a cat. The power of their love for each other would overwhelm the entire city, and Hawkmoth would have no choice but to surrender, and they would live happily ever after...

Marinette groaned as she flopped on her bed, heart racing in her chest again. She pulled her stuffed cat from the top of her bed and cradled it against her chest. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t help herself from dreaming. 

* * *

“Dude,” Nino said, smacking Adrien on the shoulder when they met up on the school steps, “why didn’t you tell me you were taking Marinette to the Gala?”

Adrien winced and rubbed his shoulder. He’d overdone it on patrol the night before. Ladybug had the night off, and he’d been going solo. Unfortunately, even though she hadn’t been with him, Adrien’s thoughts had been thoroughly consumed with Marinette the entire night. He’d been distracted and taken a pretty bad tumble when he tried to land on a ledge that was just a little bit out of his range. “You knew she was going…”

“Yeah, but I thought we were just meeting up there. You never said you were bringing her as your date! I had to hear about it from Alya!” Nino complained. “Are you finally making your move, dude?”

“What do you mean ‘finally’?” Adrien asked, removing his scarf as they passed through the school entryway. He felt his cheeks heating up. 

“I mean have you finally realized that you and Marinette are made for each other?”

In an uncharacteristically clumsy moment, Adrien stumbled. “We’re what?”  Sure, Adrien had always thought that, about Ladybug at least. The two of them were Yin and Yang, two halves of the same whole. Of course, since Marinette was Ladybug, it went without saying that the sentiment extended to the girl behind the mask as well. In fact, the feeling that they belonged together had never been stronger. But there was no reason for Nino to know about all of that. 

His best friend shrugged. “It’s obvious, my guy. You and Marinette would be a great couple. Everyone thinks so. I’m proud of you for finally making a move.”

“Everyone thinks so?” Adrien repeated. 

“Everyone since  _ college _ , bro.”

Adrien didn’t have time to mull over that revelation as the two of them entered the classroom. His attention first landed on Marinette, who was unusually early to class, bent over her desk as she sewed fabric flowers to a hair clip. He wondered how late she’d been up working on her dress. He knew she had a tendency to hyperfixate on her projects.

He was just about to greet her when Nino nudged his arm and pointed at Adrien’s desk. 

On his desk right in front of Marinette’s was a large green bag with a carefully tied silver bow and small card nearly hidden in a ton of carefully arranged silver tissue paper. 

Adrien glanced up at Marinette again, but she was very deliberately not looking at him. She just carried on looping the thread through the fabric flowers and securing them to the clip in her hands. 

He sat down at his desk and plucked the card from the tissue paper. The card was hand painted, with little pictures of holly decorating the border. The address in the center written in delicate red calligraphy brought a huge grin to Adrien’s face. 

_ “To keep you warm and ease your  _ pain _ s. Merry Christmas, _ mon chaton. _ ”  _

The card wasn’t signed, but it wasn’t hard to figure out who had left it there. 

“Are you going to open it?” Nino prompted.

Adrien glanced at his friend and resisted the urge to turn and look at his Lady behind him. 

He carefully untied the ribbon and began pulling out the tissue paper. Inside the bag was a small package of chocolates, decorated with little white chocolate cats and snowflakes that warmed his heart. He dug a little deeper in the bag until his fingers brushed against soft, plush fabric. He gripped what felt like a pillow with a hard center and lifted it out of the bag. 

In his hands was a clearly hand stitched, cinnamon roll shaped pillow that was about half the size of his torso and plump with stuffing. He traced his fingers along the spiral in the center and the bronze, shimmering threads of cinnamon sugar that made the plush look good enough to eat. He ran his thumbs over the seams, wondering how long it had taken her to make such an amazing gift, when he felt a hidden zipper. Curious, he opened up the cinnamon roll from the side. 

Inside of the delicious looking bun was a large, empty hot water bottle. Hadn’t he just told Ladybug the week prior that he was looking into getting one of these? When had she found the time to put this together? And in the shape of one of his favorite sweets, too…

“Dude,” Nino gave a low, impressed whistle. “That thing looks good enough to eat! What does the card say?”

Adrien pressed a finger to his lips and grinned conspiratorially. “That’s a secret.”

He could hear Marinette stifle a  giggle behind him, which only made his grin grow wider. Nino glanced between the two of them, his confusion evident on his face. “What…”

Adrien winked at his friend. “Don’t worry about it.”

Nino cringed and took his seat next to Adrien. “That was gross, bro. Don’t do that again.”

Adrien chuckled and clutched the cinnamon roll to his chest, savoring its warmth even without the hot water bottle. 

* * *

Only one day left until the Gala.

Adrien had pulled Marinette aside after classes to thank her for the gift, and she was right when she predicted that the extra time put into it would make his reaction worth it. As he held up the cinnamon roll pillow, his eyes had sparkled in a way that she typically only saw when he was Cat Noir, soaring over the streets of Paris. It had sent her heart soaring to see so much joy bubbling out of him. She even felt a little bit closer to him now. She was thankful that her gift had fulfilled its purpose.

The only problem was that she had put herself more behind schedule than she originally thought. Marinette cursed her inability to do things simply as she sewed a few last minute rose embellishments into the bodice of the gown. She’d had some extra shimmering thread left over from Adrien’s present, and she wanted to put it to good use. The extra touch would definitely be worth it, but at what cost? She was working so quickly that she’d inadvertently stabbed herself six or seven times with her embroidery needle in the past hour and a half. Her fingers were covered with bandages. If this went on, she’d have to wear gloves at the gala just to be presentable. 

“You should take a break, Marinette,” Tikki urged. 

“Can’t,” she muttered around a mouth full of pins. She pulled out another as she incorporated the tiny fabric rose into the embroidery pattern. “Need to finish.”

She only had a day to finish. Alya had already booked them for hair appointments that could take a couple of hours, so there would be no time to work the day of. Things had to be absolutely perfect. 

Tikki watched as her charge pricked herself for the eighth time as she secured another flower to the bodice. There was no doubt that the dress was beautiful, but Tikki worried about Marinette’s health. Sure, she and Adrien were finally starting to warm up to one another again after the shock of the unplanned reveal, but had they rushed things a bit too much? Marinette swore this wasn’t a date, but Tikki still worried. Marinette was deep in denial about Adrien/Cat Noir’s feelings for her despite the fact that they were glaringly obvious. Now more than ever, he looked at her as if she hung the stars in the sky. When he finally confessed, Tikki had a feeling that it would knock Marinette completely off her feet.

* * *

The day of the gala snuck up on Adrien. He’d been formulating his plan for days, ever since Marinette agreed to be his date.

This was the night he was finally going to confess to his Lady. 

In just a couple of hours, he would go to her house to pick her up. They would dance together, laugh at silly jokes, and when the moment was right, he would tell her how he had felt since the beginning and kiss her senseless. It was perfect. 

“Tonight’s the night, Plagg,” Adrien said, ladybugs doing a giddy dance in his stomach. “I’m finally going to do it.”

His kwami rolled his eyes. “Just don’t make a fool of yourself.”

Adrien looped his cravat around his neck and tied a simple knot at his collar. “I wasn’t planning on it, but thanks for the confidence.”

It was finally happening. He was finally going to tell his Lady he loved her, and his pessimistic kwami was not going to bring him down.

* * *

Marinette wasn’t ready, but she was going to have to be.

The night was finally here. 

Alya had left about an hour ago after they finished their hair appointments and doing their makeup in Marinette’s room. Nino would be picking Alya up soon as well. Marinette was staring at herself in the mirror, looking for anything left in her hair or makeup that she needed to fix. 

“You look amazing, Marinette,” Tikki said. “Adrien’s not going to know what to do with himself when he sees you.” 

Marinette opened her mouth to remind her kwami once again that, as much as she wanted it to be, this was definitely not a date, but she was interrupted by a knock on the downstairs door.

Marinette heard her mother answer the door and immediately panicked. It was never a good idea to leave her parents alone with Adrien for too long, she’d learned that the first time he came over. They were bound to say something embarrassing.

Marinette grabbed her coat and purse from the back of her desk chair. “Quick, Tikki!” 

Her kwami nodded and zipped into the small bag. 

“Marinette,” her mother called from downstairs, “A very handsome young man is waiting for you.”

Marinette felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she lifted the trap door. “I’m coming!” 

Marinette gathered her dress and carefully descended the stairs, careful not to trip in her kitten heels. 

She kept her eyes on the ground until she reached the bottom. When she finally stood on solid ground, she finally looked up. Adrien was sitting in the kitchen having a conversation with her father. He had on a suit that most certainly was from his father’s winter formal line: A five piece suit that consisted of perfectly tailored jet black pants and a jacket. The white dress shirt underneath was perfectly pressed, so much so that it didn’t look real, not that Marinette could expect any less from the son of a fashion powerhouse like Gabriel Agreste. But what really caught her attention was the waistcoat-tie-hankerchief matching set. It brought a pop of burgundy to his outfit. All three silken pieces were embroidered with the same, slightly darker red floral pattern, making the already eye catching suit appear even more distinguished. What was more, the colors were a near exact match to Marinette’s own dress, as well as the rising flush in her cheeks. 

When Adrien caught sight of Marinette, his breath caught in his throat. He rose from his seat and rounded the island, his conversation with her father all but forgotten. 

She looked... _ miraculous _ . 

Her gown must have taken ages. On top of the amazing Christmas gift, Adrien wondered if she had gotten any sleep at all over the past week. The floor length organza ball gown was just formal enough to call itself white tie, without overdoing it. The off shoulder sleeves, adorned with fabric roses and golden embroidery swooped into a lovely sweetheart neckline that showed off Marinette’s prominent collar bones. Her hair was pulled back into a high, full bun, with the rose hair clip she’d been working on in school that week at the center. A few loose curls gently framed her face, softening her appearance slightly. The only jewlery she wore were her miraculous stones, black and inactive, catching the light and giving the appearance of black jade. 

Adrien was glad he’d requested this color. After seeing the shade of the hair clip in class that week, he’d specifically asked his father to switch from the blue suit he’d been intending to wear to this one. Nino may not have been into matching, but Adrien wanted everyone at this party to know that Marinette was his Lady. By the end of the night, he hoped she would be for real. 

Marinette’s parents watched as the two kids seemed to get lost in their own little world. 

Tom nudged his wife slightly, “did they start dating already, and we just missed the memo?”

Sabine hummed, “I’m sure Marinette would have said something if that were the case.”

When it became obvious that the two teenagers had reached an impasse, Tom cleared his throat to bring them out of their daze. 

Marinette shook herself off first, turning to wish her parents a good night. “I’ll be back before midnight, I promise.” 

Adrien finally found his tongue. “I’ll take good care of her tonight,” he promised her parents. 

Tom nodded, unable to hide the mirth in his eyes. “See to it that you do.”

Tom and Sabine both saw the kids off to meet Adrien’s driver downstairs, equally pleased and amused that, if the look in that young man’s eye was anything to go off of, their hopes for their daughter’s crush would likely be coming to fruition that night. 

* * *

The ride to Le Grand Paris was...a bit awkward, much like many of their other interactions lately, though blessedly short. It seemed that for all of the progress they had made towards being normal in the past week, it had all vanished in that evening. If they had been  _ just  _ Ladybug and Cat Noir, they could have bantered playfully, maybe even flirted a little bit on the way over. Cat Noir could have winked at her and said how purrfect that color was on her, and Ladybug could have booped his nose and teased him about looking so dashing for a tom cat.

If they had been  _ just  _ Marinette and Adrien, they may not have flirted, but at the very least Adrien would have complimented the amazing handiwork on her gown, and told her how impressive it was that she finished it in such a short amount of time. Marinette could have fought through her rapidly beating heart and subsequent nerves to tell Adrien that she was so glad he asked her to come with him that night. They would have been comfortable in either situation. 

Unfortunately, instead of being  _ just  _ one or the other, they lied somewhere in between, simultaneously both and neither at the same time, leaving them at a loss for words. Which approach was the most natural for the situation? Which persona should they embody in the presence of their partner and friend?

They didn’t have much time to ponder that question before they arrived at the hotel. Their tense time on their own was abruptly brought to an end as they entered the ballroom, the party already in full swing. They were greeted immediately upon their entrance by a whirlwind of friends, acquaintances, and familiar figures of influence. People flew by in a blur; Jagged Stone, Nadja Chamack, Mayor Bourgeois, Alya, Nino, Kagami, even Chloe stopped by to say a civil hello. 

By the next time Marinette even had a moment to breathe, her worries over how to behave had virtually disappeared. 

She sighed in relief near the refreshments table as Adrien handed her a glass of sparkling cider. 

“Are you sure this is your first time at one of these parties,” he asked, “you’re holding up really well.”

“Definitely never done this before,” Marinette said, taking a sip of her drink. “Is this what you have to do working for your father?”

Adrien nodded. “Sometimes. Get ready, future designer, the fashion world is all about networking.”

Marinette scanned the room, taking in the beautiful works of art some of the party guests were wearing. “Well,” She said thoughtfully, “if I get to see such amazing designs and talk to such awesome people every time, I guess I don’t mind that much. Besides, chaos is nothing new to me.” She deliberately tucked her hair behind her ear, letting her miraculous catch the lights from the dance floor. 

Adrien caught her meaning and chuckled. “I guess you’re right about that.” 

He looked at his flute full of cider and considered his next move as he watched the bubbles pop to the surface. He could do this. He wasn’t about to lose his nerve. He scanned the room and found a door leading out to a balcony with just the lightest dusting of snow and a beautiful view of their favorite spot in the city: The Eiffel Tower. “Hey, Marinette.”

She turned to him, bluebell eyes glittering and a soft smile painted across her face making Adrien’s breath catch at how lovely she looked with that expression. 

He swallowed a deep breath and summoned a little bit of Cat Noir’s courage before he spoke again. “Do you mind if we take a step outside for a moment?” He indicated the balcony door. 

Her brows knit together for a moment, but she smiled nonetheless. “Of course. It’s a bit warm in here anyway.”

She shifted her purse on her shoulder and placed her glass on the table, ready to follow him across the room to the balcony’s doors, when suddenly Chloe returned with an elderly gentleman in tow. 

“Adrikins,” She said, ignoring Marinette. “I have someone you should meet. He’s a friend of daddy’s, and he is a  _ huge  _ fan of your father’s line.”

Adrien shot Marinette a look, apologizing for the interruption without words. 

Marinette smiled, understanding what he meant to say. She silently assured him that it was fine by shrugging her shoulders good naturedly and shaking her head. As Chloe continued to prattle on about the man at her side, Marinette pointed down the hallway and mouthed, “I’ll be right back.” 

Adrien nodded and watched her go. As he spoke with the man who’s name he had already forgotten, he realized just how easy things were with Marinette when they weren’t so caught up in their own nerves. The ability to communicate without words had been with them since their first Akuma. He didn’t share that kind of trust, closeness, and understanding with anyone else, so knowing that he still had it with Marinette even outside of the suit was an incredible realization. It was something he never wanted to lose. 

* * *

When Marinette returned to the ballroom, Adrien wasn’t where she left him. He must have been dragged off by Chloe to meet more of her father’s friends and work associates. Marinette had done her fair share of mingling that evening, especially after Jagged Stone had introduced her to some of his acquaintances in the music industry and declaring her “the best up and coming talent in the design industry” that he had “personally discovered”.

She would be leaving the evening with a number of business cards as well as a few possible commissions for future projects. She would have to send Mrs. Cesaire a thank you gift basket for getting her the invitation. 

She stopped to talk to Alya and Nino for a bit, neither of whom had seen Adrien in a while, before Nino took Alya out to the dance floor when their favorite song started up. 

Marinette glanced around the room one last time, looking for any sign of glimmering blond hair. When her attempt to find him failed, she sighed and wiped the sweat from the back of her neck.

It was way too hot in there. 

Marinette could feel the sweat in her hair. If she didn’t get away, all of her curls would fall completely from the humidity. She cursed her heavy Chinese hair for it’s inability to hold a style. When no one was looking, she snagged a bottle of sparkling cider and a glass and slipped out the door to the balcony. 

“Marinette,” Tikki said, popping out of Marinette’s purse, “It’s freezing out here! You’re going to get sick!” 

Marinette shook her head. “I won’t be out here long. I just want to cool off a bit.”

The night with Adrien and the rest of her friends had been absolutely magical, and she knew she would have to go home soon, but she wanted to hold onto the magic for just a little bit longer. The music from the ballroom poured out of open windows and balcony doors. Marinette gazed upon the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of her city, the city that she and her Cat protected together.

As beautiful as the view was, she could think of one that would be even better. 

Tucking the bottle under one arm and shifting her grip on the glass, Marinette approached the ridged siding of the building and the heavy lattice that led up to the roof.

“Marinette!” her kwami protested. “That’s too dangerous!”

Marinette giggled, too busy riding the joyful high of the evening to be concerned with her kwami’s warnings. “I’ll be fine, Tikki. Besides, it’s plenty sturdy.”

She tucked her friend back into her purse and closed the clasp before putting her hands to the lattice siding. In the spring, there would be vines with climbing roses and ivy down the entire side of the hotel, but it was the dead of winter. Marinette was glad that she didn’t have to navigate prickly thorns and delicate flower buds. It took some maneuvering and a reliance on her Ladybug agility, but Marinette managed to climb over the balcony’s railing and scale up the side of the hotel until she was perched on the edge of the rooftop, looking over her city with its twinkling lights glistening off of a light dusting of snow. With her long skirt billowing in the breeze, Marinette took a sip of her cider.

As she looked over her city and listened to the music and laughter drifting up from the gala, she could only reflect on how much her life was changing. She was going into her final year of  _ lycee _ , and soon her future would be ahead of her. Just tonight, she’d made so many connections with big names in her industry. Building relationships with any of them would make the path to success in the fashion world so much easier. And on top of all of that, her favorite black cat was at her side. 

At first, knowing that Adrien was her partner had been terrifying. Even tonight, it had taken them some time to get used to one another. 

But that didn’t change the fact that he was her’s, and her love for him was growing brighter every day. Even seeing the smallest things in him brought her joy, from the way he teased her on the battlefield, to their friendly banter during patrols, and especially that look in his eye that he got when he was just so happy, just the way he had looked when thanking her for the cinnamon roll the other day. 

It had been scary at first, but Marinette quickly realized that she wouldn’t want anyone else for her partner. She was even thankful for the reveal happening when it had. The thought of her future was still a little bit scary, but with Cat Noir by her side, Marinette was sure she could face anything.

Marinette happily hummed along with the song pouring out of the window, and felt a familiar presence as the sound of footfalls behind her reached her ears.

“What have we here?” He asked, approaching her from behind. “What is this princess doing hiding away from everyone a top her tower?”

Marinette grinned at the way her old nickname fell so easily from Adrien’s lips. She had actually missed the nicknames from him in the past couple of weeks. “I just wanted some time to myself.” 

A warm jacket suddenly draped across her shoulders, but it was too thin to be the winter coat she had worn to the party. “If you stay out here with nothing to keep you warm, you’ll get sick.” 

Marinette pulled the jacket closer, realizing it was from Adrien’s suit. It smelled like him, like sunshine, grass, and the tiniest hint of camembert cheese. 

“But how will you keep warm if you give me this?” She asked, finally glancing over her shoulder.

Adrien stood on the roof’s ledge slightly above her, hand extended towards her to help her to her feet. “I’ll manage.”

She took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. 

“Sorry I was pulled away earlier,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know how Chloe can be.”

Marinette nodded sympathetically. She certainly did understand. “It’s alright.”

The moments passed, and the upbeat song that had been playing shifted to a slower, more intimate tune. Marinette didn’t miss the fact that Adrien still hadn’t let go of her hand, and wondered if maybe Tikki had been right after all…

“My Lady,” Adrien said, the use of her nickname startling her out of her thoughts and making her heart race in a way that only her name on his lips ever could. He bent over her hand in a move that was very Cat Noir and kissed her knuckles. “May I have this dance?”

Marinette giggled. Seeing him finally fall so naturally into the mannerisms of his alterego was simultaneously strange and comforting. “Of course,  _ Chaton _ .”

He pulled her arm up to his shoulder before circling it around her waist. He set the pace by leading her in a slow dance to match the tempo of the ballad and guided her around their makeshift rooftop dance floor.

“I really wanted to talk to you tonight.” Adrien said conversationally. 

“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?” Marinette teased. 

“I don’t want to just talk to you,” he clarified, “I mean, I do love talking to you, but I need to tell you something, something important. Will you hear me out?”

Marinette felt a tingling sensation in the tips of her fingers and her heart constricted in her chest. She felt as though there were a thousand little ladybugs dancing in her stomach. She didn’t trust herself to speak without making word soup in that moment, so she simply nodded.

“Marinette, you’re one of the most important people in my life, as my friend and as my partner. I’ve wanted to say this to you for a while, years, actually, and I’ve even tried a few times, but something always got in the way. But now that I know how amazing you really are, knowing you as Marinette and as My Lady, I can’t keep this inside any longer.” Adrien’s grip tightened at her waist, and a light flush rose in his cheeks. When he met her eyes, there was a heat behind his gaze, the same one she’d begun to notice more and more since the reveal. 

The ladybugs in her stomach picked up the tempo as her heart attempted to beat its way out of her ribcage completely. 

“The truth is,” he said, “I’m completely in love with you. I have been practically since we met. And knowing that you’re both my fantastic friend as well as my crazy awesome partner only makes me love you more. I don’t know if you feel the same way, but if it’s possible, I want to be with you. I want to dance with you like this, and kiss you under the stars, and share every moment I can with you, because the more I know about you, the less time I ever want to spend apart.”

Marinette felt like she couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t fair. Why did he have to be so good with words when she could barely string  a sentence together? 

“Do you think...that could be possible?” He asked, lowering his eyes in a shy manner that she wasn’t used to seeing from him.

“I, um” Marinette said, her voice cracking with the weight of the emotion she was feeling, “I think that I...I’ve always wanted that, too.” This was her partner, her best friend, the person who has had her back and believed in her since the beginning, even when she didn’t believe in herself. Here was this amazing person who was kind, smart, generous, and sometimes even funny. Knowing that he has been by her side this whole time was almost more than she could take, and suddenly this amazing person was telling her that he was in love with her? She felt herself growing light headed and wondered if this could even be real. 

“I love you, too,” she whispered, sure that if she said anything more she would completely fall apart in his arms. 

As soon as the words left her lips, Adrien acted on pure impulse and threw his arms around Marinette, crushing her to his chest. “Please,” he murmured, “Say that again.”

Marinette wiggled a bit so that she could speak up, “I-I love you.”

She could feel him practically collapse against her as his grip tightened even more. “I love you, too.”

It was like a dream. They stayed like that for some time, simply repeating those special words over and over again as one song changed to another and the moon rose high in the sky.

Marinette was definitely breaking curfew, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

“Thank you for being here with me,” Adrien said. 

The music had changed to a familiar tune that set them off dancing again. Marinette smiled as they swayed in a circle on the rooftop. “Thank you for asking me.”

He brought her close to his chest again, pressing his lips into her hair. “I love this song,” Adrien whispered against her.  He began to hum the tune into her ear as he guided her in a more intricate dance. 

“So do I,” Marinette said, savoring the way his heart thrummed against her fingers.

“ _ We are still kids but we’re so in love, fighting against all odds _ ,” Adrien sang into her ear, drawing an embarrassed giggle from Marinette as she buried her face in his chest. “ _ I know we’ll be alright this time.”  _ Adrien took Marinette’s hand, drawing her out to spin under his arm before pulling her back into him and continuing his serenade.  _ “Darling, just hold my hand, be my girl I’ll be your man. I see my future in your eyes.”  _ He took another chance and dipped her back, forcing her to clutch tighter at his forearms until he brought her back upright again. _ “Baby I’m dancing in the dark with you between my arms, barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song, when I saw you in that dress looking so beautiful, I don’t deserve this, darling you look perfect tonight.”  _ At the end of the refrain, Adrien bent down and nuzzled his nose against her’s.

She smiled and pressed her forehead against his. “I love you.” She murmured for the hundredth time that night.

Adrien smiled like it was the very first time, and snuggled even closer to her. 

Their reveal had definitely been nothing like either of them had expected. It had been unplanned, rockey, and awkward at times, but it had been what brought them together on this rooftop, keeping each other warm on a cold winter night. There was no where else either of them would rather be. Things were absolutely perfect just the way they were.

“Merry Christmas, Lovebug.” Adrien said, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Marinette’s head.

 

Marinette nuzzled further into his neck, never having felt more at home than in this moment. “Merry Christmas, Alley Cat.” 

 


End file.
